Twelve Gator Football Players to Earn Degrees This Weekend
Friday, December 17, 2010 | Football
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Twelve University of Florida football players will be among a total of 33 Gator student-athletes who will be earning their degrees in commencement ceremonies being held Friday afternoon and Saturday throughout the day at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on the UF campus. As of Saturday, 97 players will have graduated under current head football coach Urban Meyer in his tenure.
Current football seniors participating in graduation ceremonies include punter Chas Henry (Dallas, Ga.), offensive lineman Maurice Hurt (Milledgeville, Ga.), offensive lineman Carl Johnson (Durham, N.C.), linebacker A.J. Jones (Tampa, Fla.), defensive lineman Lawrence Marsh (Augusta, Ga.), running back Emmanuel Moody (Coppell, Texas), wide receiver Carl Moore (Rancho Cordova, Calif.), offensive lineman and team co-captain Mike Pouncey (Lakeland, Fla.) and wide receiver Justin Williams (Folkston, Ga.).
Former Florida football players graduating this weekend include defensive end Clint Mitchell (Clearwater, Fla.), safety Jarvis Herring (Live Oak, Fla.) and defensive tackle Troy Epps (Union, S.C.).
The 2010 football senior class will go down as one of the most successful classes in school history, accumulating a 42-11 record in four years, including one national championship, two BCS bowl victories, one Southeastern Conference Championship and two SEC Eastern Division titles. The class boasts two 2010 All-Americans, three All-SEC members and six SEC Academic Honor Roll members. Together, the senior class went a staggering 11-2 against its traditional rivals (Tennessee, Georgia, Florida State and Miami), while going 24-8 in the rugged SEC and 23-5 at The Swamp. Additionally, Henry is the owner of the school's first-ever Ray Guy Award, becoming the first punter in the UF history to be named first-team All-America.
Mitchell (1999-2002) was an All-SEC defensive end who was chosen by the Denver Broncos in the 2003 NFL Draft before playing in NFL Europe and the Arena Football League. Herring (2001-05), who was a team captain and member of the Leadership Committee on the 2005 squad, started 49 career games with the Gators before signing a free-agent contract with the New England Patriots following the expiration of his eligibility. Epps (2008) played in five games during Florida's 2008 national championship run after becoming a junior college All-American at Coffeyville Junior College in Kansas.
Gator senior student-athletes earning their degrees following the completion of the fall semester were additionally honored at a graduation luncheon on Thursday.
The Florida football team leads the way in number of December graduates, with 12 players set to receive degrees from UF. The women's swimming team is next with six graduates, followed by the softball team with three. Men's swimming, women's basketball and gymnastics all have two student-athletes each taking part in commencement ceremonies. Baseball, women's track and field, volleyball, women's golf, men's tennis and men's track and field each have one athlete graduating.
